Vacuum cleaner



Aug. 11, 1931;

M. K. COOPER VACUUM CLEANER Filed Jan.

16. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 11, 1931. K, OOPER 1,818,959

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Jan. .16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE VACUUM CLEANER Application filed January 16, 1928, Serial No. 247,023, and in Great Britain January 19, 1927 i This invention relates to hand-actuated vacuum cleaning machines, and has for its object to provide a machine which shall be simple in construction, and so may be cheaply 1 manufactured,and of high suction efficiency.

A vacuum cleaning machine, according to my invention, essentlally lncludes a pair of suction fans disposed in separate housings and driven from wheel, and a suction mouthpiece and dust discharge passage communieating with sald housings.

Provision is-preferably made for the auto matic disengagement.'of the fioor driving wheel from the fans onthe reversal of travel of the machine, so as to ensure continued rotation of the fans in the operative direction.

In one construction said fans are carried by a horizontal shaft or spindle, said shaft being adapted to .be operated by a friction floor :wheel which also operatesthrough a friction pinion-a brush, or the like, disposed in machine, Fig. 2 an end view, Fig. 3 a transverse section taken on line AA Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a section of a fragmentary portion of the machine.

Fig. 5 illustrates a machine of modified construction.

In the several views like characters of reference denote like or equivalent parts wherever they occur.

Referring to sald drawings, but first more particularly, to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, 1 generally indicates the machine, the casing 2 whereof is constructed in two. parts secured together by means of studs 3 to provide two a shaft 1-1 which is revolubly mounted in ball bearings 12 and is milled, knurled, toothed or otherwise serrated, in order to create a frictional gripping surface for a fan operat-- in-g rubber tyred floor wheel 13.

Said wheel 13which is 'ad& ted to automatically disengage from'said an-carryingshaft 11 on the reversal of travel of the machine so as to prevent rotation of the fans in the reverse and so inoperative direction-is mounted on a spindle 14 at the'lower end of a fork 15, the upper end of which fork is carried in a pivotal manner on a pin 16 fixed to a channel member 17, for this purpose.

Said channel member is secured to a rod 18 screwed through a tapped boss 19 formedin casing 2 and is provided with a knob 20: thus,

by turning knob 20 the suction nozzle 6 of the machine may be vertically adjusted as desired, whilst twisting or displacement of fork 15 and wheel 13 is prevented by lugs 21 which form guide grooves 22 wherein ends of pin 16' are entered.

Located in the suction nozzle 6 of the machine is a brush 23 of bristles, rubber, or

othersuitable material, the spindle 24 whereof is mounted in elongated slots 25 formed in a pair of plates 26 adj ustably attached in the nozzle by means of studs 27 .wherein small rollers 28 are provided in order to support the front of the machine. .A .rubber pinion 29 fixed at the centre of said brush spindle 24 is held in frictional engagement with wheel 13, in order to rotate the brush, by means of springs 30 disposed in'apertures 31 of-plates 26 and adapted to bear on suitable lubricating blocks 32 which engage the spindle ends. Therefore, brush 23 will be continuously rotated from wheel 13 irrespecti vc as to whether the latter is in engagement with the fan-carrying-shaft 11, or not,'and said brush may be vertically adjusted when the bristles are worn, in order to enable same to be complete- (when the parts will be in the positionsshown in Fig. 1) floor wheel 13 is disengaged from-shaft 11, therefore the fans 10 are stationary, whilst pinion 29 of spindle 24, due to the influence of sprin s30, 1s in frictional contact with said floor, w eel, and brush 23 is being rotated. Immediately the direction of the machine is reversed, floor wheel '13,'

, through spindle 14 and fork 15, swivels about pin16 into frictional engagement with shaft :11, so that fans 10 are revolved: at the same time, brush 23 is bein rotated, as spindle 24- acting under the in uence of springs moves in slots 25 of. lates 26 and maintains wheel 29 in frictiona engagement with floor wheel 13.

' The machi e isnow. moving in its operative direction, an dustds loosened by brush 23 and drawn into the nozzle 6 from whence it is carried by the suction created by fans 10 through conduits 5 into housin s 4, and eject-.

ed therefrom by said fans, in t eir continued revolution, through the discharge passage 5 into bag 8.

Referring now to the modified machine illustratedin Fig. 51; wheel 13 is carried by a pair of arms or lin s 37 which links are pivotally attached at 38 to casing 2 and are con- {neeted by means of a rod 39 with the brush spindle 24 adapted to-be rotated b means of whereby s'aid wheel is brought intoengagement with said shaft on forward motion of the machine and disengaged therefrom on rearward motion, a .pinion carried by said rotatable brush, and spring means normally holding said pinion in engagement with said floor wheel. v

' 2; A hand-actuated vacuum cleaning machine including a housing, a fan mounted therein, a nozzle at one 'end of said housing, a

brush rotatably mounted in said nozzle, a

shaft carrying said fan, a floor wheel pivotally mounted between said shaft and brush, whereby said wheel is brought into engagement with said'shaft on forward motion of the machine and disengaged therefrom on rearward motion, and means for adjustin the elevation of said-housing relatively to sai floor wheel.

vIn testimon whereof I aifix m sigature. MICHA LKUPINSKY 00 ER.

wheels 40, and being longitudina y movable in slots 41. Said rod 39 controls the disen- :gzgmg movement of floor wheel 13, and may fldJHStGd by means of aifin'ger-screw 42. The forward movement of the machine causes-through the resistance of wheels-40 with the floor, as transmitted by rod 39-the f .lmks 37 to swivel on pivot 38 and move wheel 13 'into enga' ment with fan 11 to rotate ans 10.

carrying shaft It will, of course, be understood that va' rious other modifications or changes may be made without departing from the s irit and scope of the invention'as-define by the (claims. Y

to I -claim-asin invention and desire secure byLetters atent is 2 A hand-actuated vacuum. cleaning'machinejincludin a housing a 'fan mounted therein, a nozz e at oneend a brush rotatably mounted in said nozzle, a

of said housing,-

51 sh'aft'carryingesam fan, a floor wheel ivotally mounted tween said shaft an brush, 1' 

